Flint man successfully located after getting lost on Au Sable River near Roscommon

The visiting family rented tubes from Campbell’s Canoe, Kayak & Tubing Livery to enjoy a float down the Au Sable River. When everyone got off the river at Meads Landing, the man decided to stay on a bit longer. After several hours passed and the man did not arrive at the next landing, the family contacted 911 at 7:23 p.m.

Around 9 p.m., Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Ben McAteer joined the search and located footprints that matched the man’s description about 1 mile downriver, near Willows Road – about an hour’s travel time on the water. McAteer tracked the footprints in this area for a mile until they went back into the water.

McAteer proceed downriver toward what’s referred to as “the Chapel,” about a two-hour river float. McAteer located the same footprints on two tracks in the woods, leading away from the Chapel. McAteer communicated the direction of the footprints via radio to incident command.

South Branch Township Fire Chief Mike Umphrey began searching the opposite end of the two-track, heading toward McAteer. Umphrey located the missing tuber walking the two-track at 11:15 p.m. Aside from scratches and bug bites, the man was in good condition and very thankful to be found.

In total, the tuber had walked more than 4.5 miles before being located, wearing only a swimsuit and without his shoes or a phone.

“We appreciate the great teamwork from all agencies involved in this search and are thankful this man was safely reunited with family,” said Chief Brandon Kieft, DNR Law Enforcement. “The Au Sable is a great place to be on nice days. We encourage everyone to float the river in groups, sober, with life jackets, and allow plenty of time to get off the water before it gets dark. Given weather conditions, this situation could have been much worse.”

Incident command was led by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office. The DNR, South Branch Township Fire, Roscommon County Sheriff’s Department, Michigan State Police and Campbell’s Canoe, Kayak & Tubing Livery assisted.

McAteer has been a conservation officer since 2015 and patrols Crawford County. He is a member of the DNR Search and Rescue Team.

Michigan DNR conservation officers are fully licensed law enforcement officers who provide natural resources protection, ensure recreational safety, and protect residents through general law enforcement and lifesaving operations in the communities they serve. Learn more at Michigan.gov/ConservationOfficers.